Welcome Home
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: PRMF A year after the finale, Nick returns to the place that feels the most like home and to the girl he needs, hoping that she has waited for him and wants more than friendship. NickMadison and minor ChipClare.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**__: I own nothing, it all belongs to the folks at Disney_

_**Author Notes**__: This is set roughly a year after the Mystic Force finale episodes 'Mystic Fate Parts 1 & 2' and centrally features Nick/Madison and some minor Chip/Clare. I'm always so nervous that I haven't got the characterisation right, especially Nick who was so tough to write, but the muse insisted this be written. All feedback is welcome. I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

_Welcome to Briarwood_. 

It hadn't changed since the last time he'd seen it. Nick gazed silently at the sign as his bike's engine quietened to a throaty purr, then cast his eyes over the city below. It didn't look like it had changed either. It still looked ordinary and serene, filling the green valley with grey and silver and flashes of light as the sun caught the buildings. Nick shook his head, a smile creeping over his face; Briarwood had always seemed peaceful and whole, even when being seeped in dark magic or the setting for way too many battles.

It was kind of comforting to see the familiarity of it, a warm feeling that had nothing to do with the sun on his skin as he gazed down at the city. Maybe this was what coming home felt like.

He really hoped that some other things in Briarwood hadn't changed either.

"Ok, here goes nothing," he muttered, restarting his bike and snapping his helmet visor down.

There was a lot in Briarwood he was looking forward to seeing again. It was weird having good memories about a place he'd left behind. Wasn't that the fountain Chip had landed in after Xander's bad levitation spell, and that the place LeeLee had bought that ugly jacket for Phineas who'd loved it and worn it for about a fortnight straight?

Was this what it was like for people with a regular upbringing, having good memories to laugh about when they thought about the past? For Nick, it was a strange new experience that he was still getting used to it. But it was a really good feeling to be able to look at some parts of his past without anger or frustration.

He parked near the tree they used to travel through from Rootcore and where he'd volunteered to find the man's lost brother that day that had changed the entire direction of his life. And where he'd had two very important talks with Madison Rocca.

Madison.

It had been a year, and he still didn't have the words to express how he felt about her. He could feel it inside of him, but when it came to actually expressing it out loud he drew a blank. The last time he'd tried, he'd given her a blanket to look after instead. She hadn't looked confused or laughed, so maybe she'd understood.

There had been too much going on inside his head that day, the Rangers had won and he was taking his birth parents to meet his other parents and he'd just needed the open road to clear his head again. It was clearer now, but he still sucked at talking about how he felt about her. He'd always been open and blunt with words about almost everything else, it had gotten him into trouble since he'd started talking, but this was different. It wasn't like he'd cared this much about someone before and he did not want to screw it up.

He'd talked about Madison with Udonna before he'd left. She'd had found him staring out of the window lost in thoughts that made him frown and had asked if he was thinking about Madison.

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"I've tried, but I can't. It's not what I do."

"You are so like your father!" Udonna had laughed fondly, sounding like an ordinary mother for about half a second. "He doesn't often voice his feelings. He used to say that he preferred to speak with his actions."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"It took a while for me to learn how to understand him and his gestures and in return he began to talk to me a little more. But it took time and patience for us to learn to communicate. Perhaps it will be the same for you and Madison, is it worth it to go through that struggle together?"

He'd thought about the other girls he'd dated, who'd gotten frustrated when he didn't totally open up and couldn't give them as much as they'd wanted. He hadn't really cared when they'd left and then he'd moved on anyway. But Madison knew a lot about his past and his anger. She'd confronted him when he'd wanted to give up and she'd asked him to come back for her. She was so completely worth it.

Udonna had smiled affectionately then, seeming to know his non-verbal conclusion, and Nick had thought, with a weird twist in his stomach, that maybe this was what life could have been like if there hadn't been a battle that had torn his family to shreds. He didn't talk to either of his adopted parents about this stuff. But Udonna looked at him and knew the ways that he could and couldn't communicate and got him to talk anyway. It was like she saw stuff that his other parents didn't and it didn't have anything to do with magic.

When he'd told all his parents that he was heading back to Briarwood for a while, Udonna had asked that he look in on Clare to see how she was dealing with being Rootcore's resident sorceress, and Leanbow had requested news on both Daggeron and Jenji.

His adopted parents had only asked that he take photos of his friends. They wanted proof that the notoriously independent and later surly son they had raised and who had always maintained that friendships weren't important to him had actually made some friends worth going back to visit. A decent camera was stowed in his sparse luggage.

Peeling his helmet off and hefting his backpack over his shoulder, Nick paused as he drank in the sight of the Rock Porium. It was more like home to him than any other place had ever been, except for maybe Rootcore. He could feel himself relax in response to seeing the building. It was really good to be back.

The window display blocked all of Nick's efforts to see if Madison was inside and he cursed softly under his breath, frustration welling up inside him. It had been a year and a lot could have happened. He hadn't left her any promises and it wouldn't be unreasonable if she'd moved on. It was a lot to hope that leaving a blanket behind would mean she'd waited for him without knowing when he'd be back.

Nick sighed, clenching his fists reflexively. She had wanted him to come back for her. He really wanted that still to be true. No matter how reasonable it might be, if she'd gotten a boyfriend or wasn't interested, he didn't know how long he'd stay in Briarwood for. The urge to run was still there under the surface.

He'd spent most of his life wishing he'd known who his real parents were and now that question was answered. But he'd found, after months of getting to know Udonna and Leanbow and who they really were besides Rangers and mentors, that there was someone else he needed in his life too. Like his birth parents, Madison had left a hole that couldn't be filled by anyone else. It had happened without him realising it and it had gotten to the point where he couldn't run away from it and he couldn't survive on just memories of her.

He hadn't stopped thinking about her smile, and the way she had made him feel from the moment she'd first asked him to stay. No one had ever asked him to stay before.

* * *

A flood of sound escaped the Rock Porium as Nick stepped inside, the noise making him smile. Vida's music had always made up a lot of the Porium's atmosphere, and she only ever used to play it that loud when they didn't have any customers, sometimes it made the windows rattle. Toby encouraged it; he liked his music loud because it reminded him of the concerts and festivals he'd been to. The others'd learnt to work through it. 

Nick immediately spotted Vida behind her beloved decks, her hair still bright pink for some reason. He'd thought that was a statement, a temporary way of celebrating that they'd beaten the bad guys. But the pink hair was still there a year later, and she was wearing some kind of pale pink top under her purple shop shirt. V really had gotten attached to her colour during her time with a morpher, despite her adamant initial protests.

As Nick smiled at the memory of an angry Vida with black hair and more attitude than her teenage body had any right to contain, Vida seemed to sense she was being watched and raised her gaze to see Nick standing just inside the door. Her eyes widening, she gave a very Vida-like holler that proved why she had never needed a microphone.

"Nick! Nick's back!"

The next thing he knew Vida had launched herself across the room towards him with surprising speed, managing to reach him quicker than Xander who appeared from the office. Nick's smile widened into a full grin as Vida grabbed him into a rough squeezing hug that he gladly returned. Everything about Vida had always been instinct and strength and it looked like that hadn't changed. He was more relieved than he'd expected to be at that.

When Vida pulled back, her grin dimmed a little and the only warning he got was her hand curling before she thumped him solidly in the shoulder.

"Ow! V, what was that for?"

"How about because it's taken you a year to visit us?!" Vida prodded him hard in the chest, but there was laughter in her eyes that made her gesture playful. "What took you so long?"

"Hey, I wrote to you! You did get my letters, right?"

"Yeah, we got them, mate," Xander put a restraining hand on Vida's shoulder and Nick was surprised when she didn't immediately shrug it off. So other things had changed. "Thanks, by the way. Chip loved that superhero birthday card."

"It was no problem," Nick eyed Vida carefully. "So are we cool, V?"

Vida's answering smile was that soft sincere one that was so rare and caused the person receiving it to know that they'd done something right.

"Yeah, we're cool, Nick," she smirked as he rubbed at the shoulder she'd hit. "It's good to see you. You should have called, we could have got everyone together."

"I'm sorry I left it so long, things just got out of hand," Nick shrugged, hands splayed as he tried to explain. "The road trip took a lot longer than we thought and then Udonna and Leanbow were meeting my other parents and I had a lot of catching up to do."

He didn't say that it had taken him this long to feel like he could finally deal with his two very different sets of parents. Or that for the first time ever he'd felt a real inner tug to go back to somewhere he'd lived, somewhere where he actually had solid and real friends that he wanted to see again. But Xander and Vida didn't tease him or fill the silence and maybe they knew anyway.

"Well, it's good you're here now, mate" Xander declared at last, pushing past Vida to rap knuckles with Nick before pulling him in for a brief hug. "How long are you here for?"

"A few weeks I guess, maybe more. I didn't really think about it."

"Where're you staying?" Vida wanted to know.

"One of the motels in town maybe. My sister's got friends staying so I thought…."

"No way," Vida held a hand up, halting any more of his words. "You can stay with us. Mom and Dad are away on vacation so it's empty apart from me and Maddie. We won't charge and it'll be a lot more comfortable than some of the places round here."

"I don't want to put you guys out."

"You're not, and I know Maddie won't mind," Vida wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Nick shoved his hands into his pockets, a nonchalant look sliding over his face like a shutter. Vida and Xander were his friends and he'd shared more with them and the other Rangers than he had with anyone else. But there was still some stuff that he was going to fight to keep private, stuff that they'd push him or tease him about, stuff that he didn't want to talk about with anyone except Madison. And he was anticipating a fight; Xander and Vida had always seen their friends' lives as completely open for interference, ignoring any protests.

"Why'd you say that?" he asked casually, leaning against the counter.

Xander laughed loudly and slapped Nick on the back.

"Oh come on, mate! You can play dumb if you like, but we know how you feel about Maddie," he said firmly. "You always were really bad at hiding it, we all knew."

"Whatever, guys. I am not talking about this, ok?" Nick warned them.

He knew he sounded kind of cold, but for him this was progress. A few years ago he would have hit anyone who pushed him on stuff that was off-limits. Then a few years after that, he would have walked or driven away from the people asking the questions.

Vida smoothed a hand through her pink hair with a sort of fond and exasperated smile. Xander had become distracted by the time he'd seen on his watch and was gazing out of the window.

"It's been you since you volunteered to go into the forest everyone else said was haunted," Vida told Nick, unrepentant and clearly not bothered by whatever threat was in his voice. "You're a good guy and you're the only one on her mind, so you'd better not screw it up."

Nick raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms with a slow grin. It sounded like he was about to get the big sister speech from Vida, warning him to treat her little sister right. He'd kinda expected to hear it at some point when the guys realised how he felt about Madison. But Xander interrupted, gathering something from behind the counter.

"Hey, Nick, fancy a blast from the past? How about working here for the afternoon?" he asked, holding up the purple shirt. "One of the villagers hasn't turned up again."

"Hey, I'm on vacation and you're putting me to work?" Nick protested, latching onto the change of topic as a grin threatening to take over his mouth.

"Think of it as volunteer work," suggested Vida as she headed back to her decks with a last mildly warning look at Nick.

"Would you, mate? I could use the help."

Xander smiled his most engaging charming smile at Nick, the one he'd always used when he was trying to get his own way, and Nick laughed, accepting the shirt and tugging it on over his faded red t-shirt. He'd been planning on hanging out at the Rock Porium for the afternoon anyway, and working there wouldn't make much of a difference. It'd be fun and it would probably completely confuse Toby when he turned up.

"Thanks, I owe you one," Xander told him, heading back into the office.

"I know," Nick called after him, planning on convincing Xander to pay for a tank of gas for his bike later. "Is there still room for my bag in there?"

"On top of the lockers," called Vida as she started the music up again.

Nick smiled, hefting his pack over one shoulder. It felt like no time had passed at all since the last time he'd been there. It felt like home.

_-TBC very soon! Two more chapters to come. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**__: It's all owned by Disney._

_**Author Notes**__: Thanks so much to the lovely reviewers who left such kind words about my first chapter, it's very encouraging so thank you! There's just one more chapter to go for this fic. I hope you enjoy this second chapter, all feedback is gratefully received._

* * *

The first thing that almost hit Nick when he stepped into Rootcore was a seriously strong bolt of magic. It smashed onto the doorframe in a shower of sparks and another one followed close behind, narrowly missing his head. Nick's hands were curling with flames before he hit the ground in a crouch behind the table. Tutoring from Udonna and Leanbow during their year away had honed his magic to the point that it felt like it was part of him, as natural as breathing or staying alive. He was really grateful now for the intense hours of practice he'd gone through. 

"Hey!" he yelled, trying to look up to work out where to aim without getting hit. "Hey, Clare! What's going on?"

"Nick?"

For a few seconds there was silence and then, just as Nick was cautiously getting to his feet and the flames were extinguishing, someone jumped on him and wrapped him into a tight hug. It took him less than two seconds to realise that it was Clare.

"Nick, I can't believe you're here! I am so sorry, I was practicing this new spell and it got a little out of control and….."

"Clare!" he pulled back from her. "Clare, slow down. It's fine, I'm fine, everything's cool."

"Oh, good, because if I'd hit you, you might have lost an arm or something," she hugged him again quickly. "It's good to see you again, cousin."

Now that was weird to hear, but it was true and Nick smiled at her in response. He was still getting used to the whole 'people who were just friends before are now also members of your family' thing. It was cool to have family that belonged to him though instead of only second hand relatives and he knew he could do a lot worse than finding out he was related to Clare.

Clare had grown up a little in the year since he'd seen her. She still had a messy mane of blonde hair, her clothes were still tattered and untidy, and she still babbled a lot. But she was holding herself with more poise and there was an almost confident look in her eyes now. Becoming a full sorceress obviously agreed with her.

"So how is Rootcore's sorceress?" he asked her with a grin.

Clare blushed and lowered her gaze to her skirt, trying to brush the dirt off it unsuccessfully.

"I've got a lot to learn," she confessed. "I'm not as good as Udonna yet, but I'm getting better. Chip helps me out and LeeLee and Phineas are here a lot."

"Where is Chip?"

"With Daggeron, I think he's practicing swordplay today."

Nick laughed. That didn't surprise him. According to the others, Chip had lived in a world of knights and magic long before they'd become Rangers. He'd taken their Ranger status in his stride better than any of them and after it was over, he'd found that he could still be part of that world where he was totally comfortable and increasingly confident.

"So anything happen here while Udonna's been gone?" Nick asked, remembering Udonna's request and glancing around the room that really hadn't changed at all.

"Um….. nothing big. There were village disputes, and Fireheart had some scale rot…...Oh! And we had a small minor invasion of swamp dwellers. But it was fine."

Ok. Only Clare could make an invasion sound like it was completely unimportant. Nick turned sharply to look at her, but she was turning the pages of the Xenatone, mouthing words that he couldn't hear.

"You guys had an invasion? Why didn't you call me? I would have come back to help."

He would have. He wasn't naïve enough to believe that just because the Master had been defeated, there would be no more trouble in Briarwood, magic or otherwise. And he wanted to be around to help, not just because he'd been a Ranger, but because Briarwood was home.

Clare looked up at him startled and then with a smile that was so much like Udonna's.

"Nick, it was ok. It wasn't anything big. We dealt with it," she told him surprisingly firmly, her fingers lying on his arm comfortingly. "Nothing too bad happened."

Nick's frown eased, but he didn't say anything. He knew that the others could deal with whatever happened and they would have called him if they'd needed to. But still guilt burned a little inside of him. It had been a long time since he'd had anyone else to worry about besides his adopted family and a year on, he was still relearning how do deal with it.

"Madison's not here," Clare added into the silence, as though that was the most logical continuation of their conversation. "I think she's at film class."

"Yeah, Vida told me," Nick didn't know whether to be more disturbed by the fact that Clare knew he wanted to see Madison or that she knew where Madison was. "You didn't just do a mind-reading spell, did you?"

No," Clare giggled. "When Madison started taking classes, she copied her schedule for us and Xander tells us about the shifts people work at the Rock Porium. Just in case we need them."

"Right, in case any invasions happen?" Nick's words were pointed and Clare giggled again. "So why do you think I'm looking for Madison?"

Clare flushed, looking very much like the Clare Nick had first met and clearly stumbling for an answer that wouldn't implicate anyone. Nick ground his knuckles into the table he was leaning on; he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like her answer.

"Oh….well……Vida might have said something," Clare stammered out.

Ah, so it wasn't that 'everyone knew' that he liked Madison, but more like Vida had made sure that everyone knew. Nick shook his head. Of course Vida still had a complete lack of respect for anyone else's privacy.

"I haven't told Madison anything, I promise!" Clare hastened to add.

"Clare, it's ok. It's not your fault Vida's got a big mouth," Nick smiled to reassure her. "Come on, take a break from the spell-casting and help me find Chip."

* * *

Madison was used to finding unexpected things happening outside her family's house. Like the time she'd found Vida having a noisy student street party to celebrate the end of finals without their parents' permission, or it was one of the stages for the escalating water fight wars their whole group used to have every summer (a lot more fun once Madison had been given her magical power of water), or sometimes Chip would be practicing tiny spells as he waited to be let in for snacks and company. 

Today, Madison was greeted by Vida and Xander loading bags and boxes into Vida's car, arguing loudly. Ok, so that part wasn't so unexpected – sometimes it seemed like it was the only way they could communicate. Madison would never understand that. What was unexpected was the fact that they were loading up the car with that much stuff at all. Madison knew that there weren't any parties or events going on that they needed to transport things for like they did for Vida's gigs. The scene reminded Madison of the time they'd all helped Toby when he'd organised a garage sale to cleanse himself of material possessions. That phase had lasted a week.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" she asked, confused as she reached Vida's car.

Xander turned and smirked at her in that way that said he knew something she didn't (like the time Vida had put a frog in her shoe and he'd known and hadn't warned her). Vida was also grinning in a similar way, making Madison immediately wary.

"Why are you guys smiling like that?" she asked, a little nervously.

"Like what, sis?" Vida replied innocently.

The innocent tone might have worked better if Vida wasn't smiling so smugly. Madison sighed, putting her camera case down. This couldn't be good.

"Vida, I can tell you're hiding something," she said. "What is it?"

"We've had a visitor," Xander piped up with a wide smile.

"Xander!" Vida glared at him.

"Hey, he's gonna be staying here, V. I think she ought to know, don't you?"

"Staying here?" Madison looked at Vida in surprise. "Who's going to be staying here?"

The frown melted from Vida's face as she emerged from the car and lightly gripped Madison's shoulders as though holding her steady. She was looking at Madison with that intense sisterly expression that spoke of what she considered to be really good exciting news that she couldn't wait to tell Madison. It made Madison apprehensive and Vida's next words really didn't help.

"Nick's back."

"Nick?!" Madison's voice came out in a squeak that made her cheeks burn.

"Yep, came all the way back to visit us for a while," Xander put in, leaning against the car with a very satisfied look on his face. "He was here all afternoon, helping out at the Porium. He talked about you."

"Of course he did!" Vida nudged Madison and then said in a sing-song voice. "He still likes you, Maddie,"

"Vida! Did you say anything to him?" Madison looked pleadingly at her sister, feeling overwhelmed by the bubbling emotions inside of her. Her sister could have made things a lot worse.

"Maddie, he left you his blanket. I think he knows," Xander pointed out. "And Vida told everyone who couldn't already tell from the moony way you guys looked at each other. Your secret's been out there for years."

"I'm just giving you a push, sis," Vida shrugged like interfering in her sister's non-existent love life wasn't a big deal. "Until you two decide to actually say something to each other about what's completely obvious to everyone else."

"Oh, Vida!"

Madison covered her eyes, trying to take deep breaths. Nick Russell was back in Briarwood and her friends were interfering and this was all so embarrassing. And had Xander said that Nick was staying at her house?!

"Why is Nick staying at our house?"

"It was either that or let him stay in one of the creepy motels in town," Vida shrugged. "He can't afford to stay in a place like the Benson."

She had a point and Madison nodded wearily. If she'd been here, she'd have probably would have made the same offer as Vida. That didn't make the prospect of sharing a house with Nick less terrifying. She could manage normal everyday conversation with him. But if he was here, actually here, then she needed to talk to him about how she felt (because would he be coming back again?) and she'd always gotten overwhelmed by nerves and shyness when trying to express that. It would probably get a lot worse if they were sharing living space. But it was Nick and it would give her time with him and she felt warm thinking about that. She didn't know whether to hug or strangle her sister; it was a very familiar feeling.

"Nick's staying," her words came out as a shaky sigh and Madison refused to meet either Vida or Xander's eyes. She knew they were smirking and she didn't want to blush anymore. She was going to have to learn to control that better if she was going to spend any time with Nick. "So, where is he?"

"He went to Rootcore to see Clare and Chip," supplied Xander, hefting another store carton. "We're going to have a barbeque at my place tonight, try and get as many people together to celebrate Nick being back."

"That's a really nice idea," Madison smiled appreciatively, the boxes being packed into the car now making a lot more sense.

"And it gives you and Nick the perfect chance to talk and get reacquainted," Vida told her.

Whatever Madison's blushing reply was going to be was drowned out by Vida suddenly realising that Xander had somehow gotten behind the wheel of her car without her noticing and was apparently intending on driving it over to his house. As Vida geared up for one of her spectacular blow-ups, Madison was free to think about Nick without any embarrassing observations being made by her friends. Arguments between Vida and Xander kept them focused only on each other.

She hadn't dated anyone since Nick had left. Her feelings for him had stayed strong, and had lasted longer than any crushes she'd had in the past (there'd been a short one on Xander when he'd first moved to Briarwood that Vida still teased her about, and a lot of guys at school that she hadn't had the nerve to even talk to and had always fallen into the 'never going to happen' category). Nick was different; she'd known that since she'd met him, and she still felt so drawn to him, like she hadn't to any other guy before.

But Nick was so confusing. She had no experience of reading signals or being sure if a guy liked her. She wasn't sure what he felt about her. All she had to go on was a year of friendship that felt like something more, their brief hopeful conversation before he'd left, and the letters afterwards that hadn't made anything clearer. Sometimes she didn't want to hope, in case she was completely and embarrassingly wrong, but then she thought about his last smile to her before he'd left and she thought _maybe_.

Had he already moved on? It had been a year and they hadn't promised anything to each other. Madison had come tentatively close to saying how she felt and Nick had left her his blanket and that was it. That had to mean something, she really wanted it to.

"Hey," Vida's voice was gentle as she nudged her sister, apparently the fight with Xander was over. "Don't think about it so hard, sis. It'll all be fine."

Madison managed a smile, her own worries still churning inside her mind.

"Thanks," she replied to Vida who smiled back. "I just….I can't help thinking that it's been a year. He might have met someone or…."

"Don't think about it," Vida's command was firm. "It won't change anything. Anyway, he came back, didn't he?"

Vida always had a clear and simple way of looking at things, she never worried or dwelt on stuff. Madison had always envied her sister for that. But Vida was right. Nick was here and she really wanted to know if there was going to be anything more than friendship between them, no matter how terrifying the thought of talking about it was. If they didn't, Vida and Xander would probably lock them in a room together until they did (like they did with her and Bobby Mendle in the sixth grade). Either way, that part of her life might finally stop being stuck on pause.

_-TBC, one more chapter to go! _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**__: All owned by the bods at Disney._

_**Author Notes**__: This is the final chapter. Thanks to all the wonderful people who've reviewed this story, it really made me feel welcomed back into the fandom and like I wrote it right. I hope you like the way I've wrapped it up. As always, all feedback is appreciated. _

* * *

Vida was arguing about something with Xander. Nick had given up trying to work out how it had started, but it was really amusing to watch. Fights between Xander and Vida always were. When Vida threatened Xander with a ketchup bottle, Nick decided that now was probably a really good time to move. Vida had very good aim when it came to edible projectiles and he didn't want to be anywhere nearby when the inevitable food fight broke out unless he had some serious back-up. There'd been a lot of fights during his year in Briarwood. Sometimes it seemed like Vida intentionally picked fights so that she could show off how much better her aim was than Xanders. 

Matoombo had moved to defend Vida and Itassi was asking Daggeron to explain what human ritual was now taking place. As he headed off around the side of the house, Nick could hear Jenji shouting encouragement to Xander and Daggeron say that Vida and Xander were demonstrating an immaturity that was common amongst teenaged humans and that he hadn't much hope that they would grow out of it.

Nick snorted with laughter; Daggeron could be surprisingly funny sometimes. Chip had always insisted that Daggeron was a funny guy, even if the others didn't always see it. It was hard for Nick to see the Solaris Knight as anything other than the stern and relentless coach he'd been to the Rangers over that year. Maybe that would change as more time distanced them from their time as Rangers, but Nick doubted it.

A weirdly familiar _thunk_ shattered Nick's thoughts and he glanced up to see Chip and Clare shooting arrows across the stretch of lawn at the side of the house. Chip was correcting Clare's stance and Clare was looking oddly focused for someone who'd always found it hard to handle even one thing at a time.

Nick watched as Clare's arrow neatly punctured the makeshift target close to the bullseye. That stopped his progress across the grass completely. It did make sense, bows and arrows fitted the world Clare came from. Maybe she'd learnt when she was younger. Maybe she could sword fight too. She'd proved she could hold her own when she'd become the Gatekeeper. There was a lot he had to learn about his new family.

"That was a great shot, Clare!"

At the sound of Madison's voice, Nick felt his whole body react but he managed to swing around towards the sound. There she was, almost hidden in the shade of the house as she filmed Chip and Clare with a wide happy smile on her face. He'd barely seen her at the barbeque, there'd been so many people to talk to, and she'd seemed to slip away into the background. She'd always been good at that.

Clare was bouncing excitedly, thanking Chip as she pulled him into a hug and Chip was trying to look modest but failing utterly. Madison laughed, moving out of the shade to talk to her friends and all Nick could do was stare because Madison looked beautiful.

She was dressed casually in white pants and a blue vest top, but she looked like she was glowing as she emerged from the shade. She was smiling and Nick felt himself smiling in response because the sun was making her hair shine and the relaxed happiness she wore on her face looked really good on her. It hit him like a punch in the gut, and reminded him that yeah, this was different.

When her smile became shy and uncertain (like the smile that had stayed with him for the past year), Nick knew that she'd seen him and his limbs came to jerky life.

"Hey, guys," he called, hands in his pockets as he moved closer.

"Greetings, Nick!" Chip used the voice that usually came with a cape and a superhero story, but he was dressed casually and his smile wasn't the childish grin he'd always seemed to wear before.

"Nick, did you see what I just did?" Clare asked eagerly. "I almost hit the centre!"

"Yeah, I saw it," it was so hard to focus on the others when Madison was stood right there, patient and silent, and it felt like way longer than a year.

"Chip's been teaching me," Clare's smile at Chip was full of adoration and Nick found himself smirking a little. "I mean, Udonna taught me when I was little, but Chip's teaching me now. He's a really good teacher."

"Hey, you've got a really good eye for it," Chip told her with a smile that had a lot of feeling in it. Then he cocked his head and seemed to be looking at something far in the distance. "Is that the sound of flying foods I can hear?"

"Probably, things were getting kinda heated between Xander and V when I left them," Nick replied.

"Then, my lady, we should away!" Chip declared, grasping Clare's hand comfortably in his and racing across the lawn with the sorceress giggling behind him.

In their wake, Nick and Madison stared awkwardly at each other. It was like all that had happened before was right there between them and Nick had no idea what to say to break through it. He'd handled a lot of tough situations in the past, but he had no idea what to say in this one. There'd never been a Madison in his life before, a girl he'd gone back for. Madison looked nervous, playing with the camera in her hands.

"Hey," he said at last, anything to break through the silence.

"Hi," Madison's voice was soft. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. You?"

"I'm good too," there was a smile in her voice and then she paused. "It's……it's good to see you, Nick."

Nick's lips curved at that and Madison smiled back shyly. The wall was softening between them.

"It's good to see you too," he replied, taking a step forward. "Sorry we haven't talked today, it's been kind of crazy here."

"It's ok, I understand," Madison hesitantly moved a little closer. "So, what's it like, being back?"

"Overwhelming."

Madison nodded and Nick knew that she understood because Madison had always hated to be the centre of attention and he wasn't too keen on it either. It had been great to see everyone, but they'd all wanted to talk to him and he'd felt drained from having a year's worth of news and details crammed into his brain in one afternoon.

"Well, everyone's glad you're back," Madison told him before lowering her head to talk to her camera. "I'm glad you're back."

"Just glad?" Nick teased her, grabbing onto her tone immediately.

"Ok, I'm really glad you're back," Madison was smiling now, the shyness still there as her smile widened.

Nick took another step forward.

But he couldn't say what he felt, because he didn't want it to come out wrong and he didn't want to sound like a dork. This was too important not to get right. Instead he reached out a hand for one of hers. He'd always been more about impulse and actions anyway, and they'd always gotten his point across effectively. Her skin was smooth and her eyes were startled and hopeful when she caught his gaze.

"Maddie……"

That was all he could get out before they both seemed to move and then his arms were suddenly full of Madison, hugging him tightly. He was holding her just as close and now that he had her in his arms, after a year of memories alone, he really didn't want to let go. He heard Madison let out a shuddering breath and smiled against her temple; it looked like they were both better at actions than words.

Maybe they had their own language already. It felt like they were speaking without words.

_I missed you, I'm sorry I left, I still want this. _

_I missed you too, please don't leave me again._

Or maybe he was just going crazy and hearing voices in his head again. He felt Madison tighten her grip, maybe she felt the words too, and heard her fumble to say something, anything. He knew exactly what that was like.

"You don't have to say anything," he told her quietly.

"No, I want to," Madison pulled back from him so that she could look at him properly and he thought he could see tears glittering in her eyes.

Whatever she was going to say was drowned out when a hugely powerful gust of wind shoved her into Nick and nearly pushed them both over. It was accompanied by Xander's voice.

"Hey, you didn't say we could do that!"

There was a slight tremor under their feet and Vida shrieked loudly.

"You ok?" Nick checked as he helped Madison right herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Madison looked around then, seeming to realise that they were stood out in the open. "Um…..maybe we shouldn't do this out here, you know, where people can see."

"Yeah, you're right. Any ideas?"

"We can use Xander's house. It'll keep us out the way of the food fight."

At Nick's nod, Madison turned to lead the way and Nick caught her hand and linked his fingers with hers. Madison smiled over her shoulder, her cheeks colouring prettily, and they walked towards the house together.

* * *

Xander's house was as messy as it always had been. Madison quickly grabbed her camera case with her free hand and picked her way through to the lounge. At least the couches were clean and empty and they'd be comfortable. 

"Careful, I stepped on a week-old peanut sandwich here once," she warned over her shoulder.

Nick laughed and Madison felt her skin prickle with pleasure and a wide smile slip over her face. Nick had spent a lot of his time as a Ranger confused and angry about Koragg and then Leanbow and so his laugh always made her smile, like she couldn't believe he could make that sound.

As she sat down on the couch and Nick dropped into the spot beside her, their hands stayed clasped together. Madison tried hard not to focus on that too much.

The silence felt amplified. She could hear Xander's yells over the often-loud sweeps of wind, Vida's screamed replies, and the occasional whoop from Phineas. He and LeeLee had obviously joined them, returned from raiding the kitchen, and LeeLee was loudly complaining about the damage to her new leather pants. But she was laughing too and even now Madison was hit by the surprise of how much LeeLee had changed.

"So….." Nick drew the word out awkwardly.

Madison flashed an uncertain smile. They were both so bad at this. Moments ago, they'd been hugging in the garden without any embarrassment or worries (Madison couldn't work out how that had happened, but it had felt wonderful). But trying to speak it out loud seemed to fail them both. Maybe their speech was skin to skin and gestures.

"Oh! Right, I have something for you." Madison pounced on a stray thought and retrieved Nick's blanket from her bag. "I cleaned it, not that it smelt, but I thought I should… you know, keep it nice for you."

Nick's tight expression relaxed as he accepted the roll of soft red material and Madison felt herself relaxing too as she watched him. That smile looked so good on him, almost beautiful. She fought the urge to grab her camera and film him (no matter how good her memory was, on film he'd be preserved perfectly and then she'd always have his smile).

"Thanks, Maddie," Nick was looking at her now. "For taking care of it for me."

"It's ok," Madison managed to shrug, so aware of the feel of his fingers against hers. "Thanks for letting me have it for a while."

Another silence was in danger of stretching between them when Nick broke it with a rueful laugh.

"We are really bad at this."

"We are, aren't we?" Madison laughed and felt some of the awkwardness evaporate between them. "It's so strange."

"Yeah, we can hug and hold hands," Nick raised their joined hands for a few seconds for emphasis. "But we can't talk about this."

Madison could feel words bubbling in her throat in response, wanting to tell him how she felt. But her fears were still there, trying to strangle the words. 'What ifs' were crowding her mind, even though she could feel their hands together and remember his hug and his words. She didn't have a clear answer of what it all meant and she was afraid of the answers her questions could bring. Then Vida's words came to her.

"_He came back, didn't he?"_

Now he had the blanket and, if he left, was there a reason for him to come back for more than just a friendly visit? Madison squeezed his hand in subconscious response and Nick looked up at her, clearly expecting her to speak.

She bit her lip; she really hadn't meant to do that. The words were trembling on her lips now and she really did want to stop feeling so confused.

"Does this…….mean anything, Nick?"

The words hung in the air between them as Nick looked at Madison and his thumb started moving against her hand. Her heart was thudding so quickly, and she felt as though she was holding her breath.

"Yeah, yeah it means something," Nick replied at last.

Hope swelled inside Madison, and it released more words. It felt as though a switch had been flipped somewhere inside of her and she was aware that later on she'd probably be really embarrassed about how much she'd said.

"But what does it mean? Did you come back just to see your friends and get your blanket and then move on again? I need to know, Nick, because I haven't dated anyone since you left. I've been…...waiting for you and I don't know if you feel the same way because we can never talk about this. I'm afraid that I'm in this alone and that when you leave you're not going to come back and……."

Whatever else Madison had to say was cut off because Nick leant towards her suddenly and pressed his lips to hers. Madison's world went shocked and silent and she felt as though she was at the top of a really high hill about to head down the other side. Then sound rushed back into her ears and it was incredibly real and Nick was kissing her.

Madison's hand slipped from Nicks to find its way to his neck. He was cupping her face and gently deepening the kiss, not pushing but asking for permission that Madison just as carefully gave. She'd never thought he'd be this gentle, and she heard herself make a soft satisfied noise as he changed the angle of the kiss slightly.

She wasn't aware of how long the kiss lasted, she knew that time passed and eventually they separated. It was the best answer to a question Madison had ever gotten. She knew she was blushing and Nick smiled at her, stroking her warm cheek.

"I don't want to leave you again, Maddie," he said quietly and with a hint of apprehension that shook his words.

Madison let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and laughed a little shakily. Her insides were going crazy and, despite all the words that had tumbled free, one more shook itself loose.

"Why?"

"Why? You are nosy," the teasing echo of their first real conversation made them both smile and Nick tugged her closer. "This is all new for me, Maddie. I don't come back for people."

_But I came back for you_

The unspoken words were emphasised by Nick squeezing her gently and Madison wondered if he felt the words between them too. Maybe they didn't have to say all that much after all, maybe they understood each other more than she'd thought.

Her smile didn't fit her face and it felt like it was her turn to try and say something, but the words had left her again. So, still unsure and pulling together whatever courage she could, Madison leant forward and kissed him gently. It felt soft and simple and strangely very delicate. Delicate was not a word Madison would associate with Nick Russell, but it was perfect for that kiss and that moment.

It was too early to talk about love, but Madison felt warm from her head to her toes.

She was about to speak, when something hit the window behind them with a thick wet _splat_. The food fight was obviously still going on and was that…….

"Was that Daggeron on his magic carpet?!" Nick asked the question for her in clear amusement and disbelief.

"I think it was," Madison laughed, the sound feeling light and free.

"Want to join in?"

Madison had always tried to avoid the varied types of fights that erupted around Xander and Vida (it really wasn't good for her camera), but if everyone else was involved, even Daggeron, then there probably wasn't any way to avoid it. Vida would only drag her out soon anyway and Nick's devilish grin was very appealing. She found herself smiling back.

"I know where Xander keeps his water bombs."

Nick obviously liked what he saw in her face because as soon as they got to their feet, he swept her into his arms for another kiss. Madison started in surprise, but responded with delight. This was a different sort of kiss, it felt like relief and gratitude and 'I'm so glad I'm here and that you want me too' and it was only interrupted when something else splattered loudly against the window. Madison laughed against his lips and she could feel Nick shake in response.

What was happening to her? She felt bold with him, all those feelings she'd gotten just be being around him were hugely enhanced. It felt so right and prompted more words, shy and quiet.

"I….I'm really glad you're here, Nick," it wasn't 'I love you' but it was something and she knew that Nick knew that.

"I'm not going anywhere."

His expression was serious and Madison couldn't stop smiling, because she had solid words to lean on now. It was a promise. She had film school to eventually think about and Nick might want to take over Rootcore or he might even want to go with her wherever she ended up. But he wasn't leaving her and that from Nick, who had always wandered, was the best that she could ask for.

_- the end, thanks so much for reading!_


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